Pompeius Occo, Dirck Jacobsz, c. 1531

Pompeius Occo (1483–1537) came from a north German family and grew up in Augsburg. In 1511 he settled in Amsterdam as a representative of the Fugger banking house and business firm of Augsburg. He played a leading role in the city’s cultural and religious life. The skull alludes to the transience of earthly existence, and the red carnation to the hope of eternal life.